Will and Testament // Sequel to the Rosie Grey series

Chapter Three

Mother placed a light hand on Father's shoulder, almost as if she expected him to do something rash upon seeing the women standing outside.

I had never heard any of them mention my grandmother before, or another Aunt on Father's side. They had told me what had happened to my maternal grandmother but there had been no mention of Grandfather's wife or any other children the two of them had. Since they never mentioned her, I had never asked too many questions nor expected to be told anything and just assumed she had died. Yet there she was standing outside the house with an Aunt I knew nothing about.

Behind me, Aunt Charlotte took in a sharp intake of breath and exchanged a quick glance with Uncle Zachariah. We all just stood staring out of the window and Father looked as though he was willing Grandmother to get back into the car and drive away. Perhaps he wanted to play the trick on her that we used to play on my Great Aunt Molly - lie on the floor and pretend we weren't home. I doubted that all of us gathered around the window would achieve that.

Before Father could enact his plan of lying on the floor, the older of the two women turned towards the window. Upon spotting us, she offered a small wave and in front of me, Father groaned. Due to his reaction, I assumed we had no choice but to meet the woman who Father had called my Grandmother. Personally, I didn't really want to meet a woman that no one discussed, especially as there had to be a reason for it.

"Stay calm, Robert. This isn't the time to go flying off the handle," Mother said. She removed her hand from Father's shoulder and they started to make their way out of the room with the rest of us trailing a little awkwardly behind.

"I'll stay calm if she does."

"Izzy, stay close to me," Mother said.

We stepped out the front door and into the sunlight, Uncle Zachariah had bought Hannah's pram with him and she gurgled away inside without a care in the world. Mother placed a hand on my shoulder and gripped it rather tightly, but I didn't say anything. I looked over at the two women, trying to understand the animosity and tension that had built up since they first arrived.

The first, the oldest, had grey hair that she had twisted into a knot on the back of her head. She wore a black dress of mourning that appeared to be adorned in lace and despite the warm weather, she carried an umbrella. The other woman looked several years older than Father, she too wore a black mourning dress with her dark hair twisted up the same way as Grandmothers. She looked like a younger version of her, almost like a copy.

"There they are! My children! It has been far too long," Grandmother said.

"And we know whose fault that is," Father mumbled.

"Charlotte, my baby girl!" Grandmother swept forward with open arms and pulled Aunt Charlotte into a hug, much to Aunt Charlotte's disgust. She placed a kiss on each of Aunt Charlotte's cheek and then stepped back, looking at Harry and Frank. "And who are these darling children?"

"This is Harry and Frank, my sons. And this is my husband, Jasper."

"You're both the spitting image of your Grandfather, God bless his soul." Grandmother bowed his head before stepping to the side and looking at Uncle Zachariah. "My boy, look at you now."

"Mother."

Grandmother made no attempt to hug him or even kiss him on the cheek, perhaps she could sense the animosity. She did offer him a wide smile, however. She moved over the pram where Hannah lay, oblivious to what was going on around her. "And who is this little cherub?"

"Hannah. These two are Anna and John, and that's Florence." He kept a firm grip on all of his children, as though not wanting her to get anywhere near them.